KCDK-E holds annual conference

The Democratic Kurdish Society Congress in Europe (KCDK-E) held its annual conference between July 13 and 18.

The conference was attended by federations, Democratic Kurdish Community Centers, and member institutions of the KCDK-E in Europe. The opening ceremony began with a minute of silence in memory of the martyrs of Kurdistan’s freedom struggle.

This year’s conference coincided with a critical period in the Kurdish freedom struggle. Abdullah Öcalan’s first public address in 26 years, delivered via video message, followed by a group of guerrillas burning their weapons under the leadership of the KCK Co-Presidency, had huge repercussions among the Kurdish people and the international community.

The conference, titled “Change and Transformation for a Democratic Society,” comprehensively addressed both the current political process and the shortcomings and inadequacies of previous periods. Participants discussed how the Kurdish diaspora should be included in this new process.

KONGRA GEL Co-Chair Remzi Kartal, conveying greetings from Abdullah Öcalan in his opening speech, said, “We are going through a historic process, when our discussions and decisions must be made with this sense of historical responsibility.”

Numerous delegates spoke at the conference and criticized long-standing problems and repeated organizational practices, offering both criticism and self-criticism. They emphasized that Abdullah Öcalan’s Call for Peace and a Democratic Society offers solutions to these problems and that everyone must organize themselves in a manner appropriate to this new era.

All delegates agreed that the Kurdish diaspora in Europe needs to be restructured through new institutions. To this end, concrete plans were made for the new period, and areas of work and expert groups were established.

Remzi Kartal delivered the closing speech. The conference ended with all the participants chanting the slogans “Bijî Serok Apo,” [Long Live Leader Öcalan] “Şehîd Namirin,” [Martyrs are Immortal] and “Jin Jiyan Azadî” [Woman, Life, Freedom].